Improvement in pickers for fibrous material



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN PICKERS FOR FIBROUS` MATERIAL.

Specification forming part-of Letters Patent No. 57,109, datedAugust 14, 1866.

To all whom it may concern.- l

Be itknown that I, LEVI FERGUSON, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented ak new and Improved Picker forFibrous Materials and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specilication, in which` Figure l represents a longitudinal vertical section of this invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a picker for rags, waste wool, or other fibrous materials, which is composed of a revolving pickercylinder and a series of comb-plates, by the combined action of which the picking operation is ef# fected. i

The invention consists in the arrangement of comb-plates with their arms moving in slots in the frame, and cam-grooves with a segmental apron operating with a picker-CyL inder having `obliquely-set teethon its face, whereby the operation of picking is greatly facilitated, as will be hereinafter Inore fully described.

A represents a picker-cylinder, which is mounted on an axle, B, having forwardly-projecting obliquely-set teeth on its face, and to which a rapid revolving motion is imparted in the direction of the arrow marked on it in Fig. l by a suitable power or motor of any desired description.

The material to be picked is fed `to the cylinder A by-nieans of `feed-rollers C, which may be corrugated or iuted or otherwise arv ranged in the usual manner. y

On being caught by the teeth of the cylinder the fibrous material is carried down over the segmental apron D, which is perforated to admit the teeth of the comb-plates E. These plates are supported by brackets a, from which suitable arms extend through slotsb, in the frame of the machine, into suitable camgrooves c, which are so shaped that they impart to said plates a motion toward and from the cylinder, and when two ormore combplates are used, which will be generally the case, said plates are moved at different periods, so that one is in when the other is out, and vice versa.

As the comb-plates pass in toward the cylinder their teeth take oi' the fibers from the teeth of the revolving cylinder, and as the combplates recede, theirteeth being drawn hack through the holes in the segmental apron D, clean themselves, so thatthe same are always in the proper condition to act, and the operation of picking is effected with ease and facility. 4

The teeth of the comb-plates are not liable to clog up, and the picker can be used with advantage for operating on textile or fibrous materials of any desired descriptionsuch as rags, waste wool, 86e. j,

The cams c, which produce the reciprocating motion of the comb-plates, are mounted on shafts e fg, which are geared together byV cog-wheels, and to which motion is imparted from the cylinder-shaft B, to the end of which is secured a pulley, z', from which a belt, j, extends over a pulley, lr. This pulley is mounted on ashaft, I, from which the motion is transmitted to the first cam-shaft, e, by apinion and cog-wheel; or the driving-power may be applied to the shaft l and transmitted to the remaining shafts by suitable belts, pulleys, and cogwheels, which are so proportioned that the speed of the cylinder-shaft is much greater than that of the camshafts, and that the reciprocating motion of .the comb-plates is quite slow.

I do not wish to confine myself, however, to any particular mechanism, but reserve the right to impart the requisite motion to the comb-plates by any suitable means..

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The arrangement of the comb-plates E, with their arms moving in slots b of the frame, the cam-grooves c, and the segmental apron D,

`operating with the picker-cylinder A, all constructed in the manner and for the purpose herein specied.

LEVI FERGUSON. Witnesses:

Tnos. G. GERRIsH, ANDREW F. JEwETT. 

